Editing Scrooge McDuck (section)

== Characterization ==
=== Overview ===
[[File:Scroogeswim.jpg|left|thumb|Scrooge's signature dive into his money]]
The character is almost exclusively portrayed as having worked his way up the financial ladder from humble immigrant roots. His characteristics are believed to be strongly influenced by the life of a real, incredibly wealthy Scottish-American business magnate [[Andrew Carnegie]], as well as [[Ebenezer Scrooge]], his namesake from ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kets de Vries|first=Manfred F. R.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/432322927|title=Sex, money, happiness, and death : the quest for authenticity|date=2009|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-24036-0|location=Basingstoke [England]|pages=88–9|oclc=432322927}}</ref>

The comic book series ''[[The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck]]'', written and drawn by Don Rosa, shows Scrooge's fictional life. As a young boy, he takes up a job polishing and shining boots in his native [[Glasgow]]. A pivotal moment comes in 1877 when a ditch-digger pays him with an [[United States Seated Liberty coinage|1875 US dime]], which is useless as currency in 19th century Glasgow; he only notices what sort of coin he has been given after the man has left, as his boots were so caked with dirt, Scrooge fainted from exhaustion after finishing his work. Enraged, Scrooge vows to never be taken advantage of again, to be "sharper than the sharpies, smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies". He takes a position as cabin boy on a [[Clyde Shipping Company|Clyde cattle ship]] to the United States to make his fortune at the age of 13. In 1898, after many adventures, he finally ends up in [[Klondike Gold Rush|Klondike]], where he finds a golden rock the size of a goose egg. By the following year, he made his first $1,000,000 and bought the deed for Killmule Hill from Casey Coot, the son of Clinton Coot and grandson of Cornelius Coot, the founder of Duckburg. He finally ends up in Duckburg in 1902. After some dramatic events, where he faces both the Beagle Boys and President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] and his [[Rough Riders]] at the same time, he tears down the rest of the old Fort Duckburg and builds his famous Money Bin at the site.

In the years to follow, Scrooge travels all around the world to increase his fortune, while his family remains behind to manage the Money Bin. When Scrooge finally returns to Duckburg, he is the richest duck in the world, rivaled only by [[Flintheart Glomgold]], [[John D. Rockerduck]], and less prominently, the [[maharaja]] of the [[fictional country]] Howdoyoustan (play on [[Hindustan]]). His experiences, however, have changed him into a hostile miser, and his family leaves him in disgust. About twelve years later, he closes down his empire; he eventually returns to a public life five years later and restarts his business in the comic's final chapter.

He keeps the majority of his wealth in his massive Money Bin, an enormous cubic building adorned with a dollar sign, overlooking the city of Duckburg. In the short ''[[Scrooge McDuck and Money]]'', he remarks to his nephews that this money is "just [[petty cash]]". In the Dutch and Italian version, he regularly forces Donald and his nephews to polish the coins one by one in order to pay off Donald's debts; Scrooge will not pay them much for this lengthy, tedious, hand-breaking work. As far as he is concerned, even 5 cents an hour is too much expenditure. He does not even keep any to his personal estate, stating "Money goes to the bin, not next of kin".

A shrewd businessman and noted [[Miser|tightwad]], he is fond of diving into and swimming in his money without injury. His most famous prized possession is his [[Donald Duck universe#Number One Dime|Number One Dime]]. He is also the richest member of [[Donald Duck universe#Millionaires' club|The Billionaires Club of Duckburg]], a society which includes the most successful businessmen of the world and allows them to keep connections with each other. Glomgold and Rockerduck are also influential members of the Club.

===Wealth===
[[File:Scroogemoney.jpg|right|thumb|Valuation of Scrooge's assets in Barks' ''The Second Richest Duck'']]
The sum of Scrooge's wealth is unclear.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cbarks.dk/theserieswealth.htm|title=theserieswealth|website=cbarks.dk}}{{full citation needed|date=April 2022}}</ref> According to Barks' ''The Second Richest Duck'' as noted by a [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] article, Scrooge is worth "one multiplujillion, nine obsquatumatillion, six hundred twenty-three dollars and sixty-two cents".<ref name="1982-05-17 Time">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921233,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311055851/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921233,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 11, 2007 |title=The Duck with the Bucks |last=Cocks |first=Jay |author-link=Jay Cocks |date=May 17, 1982 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> The ''DuckTales'' episode "Liquid Assets", [[Fenton Crackshell]] (Scrooge's accountant) notes that McDuck's money bin contains "607 tillion 386 zillion 947 trillion 522 billion dollars and 36 cents". Don Rosa's ''Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck'' notes that Scrooge amounts to "five multiplujillion, nine impossibidillion, seven fantastica trillion dollars and sixteen cents". A thought bubble from Scrooge McDuck sitting in his car with his chauffeur in ''Walt Disney's Christmas Parade'' No. 1 (published in 1949) that takes place in the story "Letter to Santa" clearly states "What's the use of having 'eleven octillion dollars' if I don't make a big noise about it?". In ''[[DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp]]'', Scrooge mentions "We quadzillionaires have our own ideas of fun." In the first episode of the [[DuckTales (2017 TV series)|''DuckTales'' reboot]], Scrooge states that he runs "a multi-trillion-dollar business". In the original ''[[DuckTales (1987 TV series)|DuckTales]]'' animated series (Episode 56, Season 1), he claims to have 72 quadrillion dollars.

''[[Forbes]]'' magazine has occasionally tried to estimate Scrooge's wealth in real terms. In 2007, the magazine estimated his wealth at $28.8 billion.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/12/11/richest-fictional-characters-oped-books-fict1507-cx_mn_de_1211fictional15_land.html |title=The Forbes Fictional 15 |editor1-last=Noer |editor1-first=Michael |editor2-last=Ewalt |editor2-first=David M. |editor1-link=Michael Noer (editor) |editor2-link=David M. Ewalt |date=December 11, 2007 |magazine=[[Forbes]]}}</ref>  By 2011, it rose to $44.1 billion due to the rise in gold prices.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/fictional15/2011/forbes-fictional-15.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408020016/http://www.forbes.com/lists/fictional15/2011/forbes-fictional-15.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 8, 2011 |title=The Forbes Fictional 15 |editor1-last=Noer |editor1-first=Michael |editor2-last=Ewalt |editor2-first=David M. |editor1-link=Michael Noer (editor) |editor2-link=David M. Ewalt |date=April 1, 2011 |magazine=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> In a 1970 comic, Scrooge says that he would be broke in 600 years if he lost 1 billion dollars a minute, putting his total estimated net worth at $315,360,000,000,000,000.<ref>[Walt Disney "Golden Key" Comics Digest #January 19, 1970 "Much Luck McDuck"]</ref>  A [[running gag]] is Scrooge always making profit on any business deal. Whatever the amount, Scrooge never considers it to be enough; he believes that he has to continue to earn money by any means possible. Additionally, ''[[Forbes]]'' does have him ranked at the number 1 spot on ''The Forbes Fictional 15''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Forbes Fictional 15 |url=http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2013/fictional-15/ |access-date=2022-02-15 |magazine=[[Forbes]] |language=en}}</ref>

=== Education ===
Scrooge never completed a formal education, as he left school at an early age. However, he has a sharp mind and is always ready to learn new skills. Because of his secondary occupation as a treasure hunter, Scrooge has become something of a scholar and an amateur [[Archaeology|archaeologist]]. Starting with Barks, several writers have explained how Scrooge becomes aware of the treasures he decides to pursue. This often involves periods of research consulting various written sources in search of passages that might lead him to treasure. Often Scrooge decides to search for the possible truth behind old legends, or discovers obscure references to the activities of ancient conquerors, explorers, and military leaders that he considers interesting enough to begin a new expedition.

As a result of his research, Scrooge has built up an extensive personal library, which includes many rare tomes. In the McDuck Archives, every work of McDuck's expeditions studied by scholars such as Ms. Quackfaster. In Barks's and Rosa's stories, among the prized pieces of this library is an almost complete collection of Spanish and Dutch naval logs of the 16th and 17th centuries. Their references to the fates of other ships have often allowed Scrooge to locate sunken vessels and recover their treasures from their watery graves. Mostly self-taught as he is, Scrooge is a firm believer in the saying "knowledge is power". Scrooge is also an accomplished [[linguist]] and entrepreneur, having learned to speak several different languages during his business trips around the world, selling refrigerators to [[Eskimo]]s, wind to windmill manufacturers in the [[Netherlands]], etc.

=== Morality and beliefs ===
Both as a businessman and as a treasure hunter, Scrooge is noted for his drive to set new goals and face new challenges.<ref>[https://mises.org/wire/christmas-lets-celebrate-different-scrooge-scrooge-mcduck This Christmas, Let's Celebrate a Different Scrooge: Scrooge McDuck], [[Mises Institute]]</ref> As Carl Barks described his character, for Scrooge there is "always another rainbow". The phrase later provided the title for one of Barks's better-known paintings depicting Scrooge. Periods of inactivity between adventures and lack of serious challenges tend to be depressing for Scrooge after a while; some stories see these phases take a toll on his health. Scrooge's other motto is "Work smarter, not harder."

As a businessman, Scrooge often resorts to aggressive tactics and deception. He seems to have gained significant experience in manipulating people and events towards his own ends. As often seen in stories by writer [[Guido Martina]] and occasionally by others, Scrooge is noted for his [[Cynicism (contemporary)|cynicism]], especially towards ideals of [[morality]] when it comes to business and the pursuit of set goals. This has been noted by some as not being part of Barks's original profile of the character, but has since come to be accepted as one valid interpretation of Scrooge's way of thinking.

Scrooge seems to have a personal code of honesty that offers him an amount of self-control. He can often be seen contemplating the next course of action, divided between adopting a ruthless pursuit of his current goal against those tactics he considers more honest. At times, he can sacrifice his goal in order to remain within the limits of this sense of honesty. Several fans of the character have come to consider these depictions as adding to the depth of his personality, because based on the decisions he takes Scrooge can be both the hero and the villain of his stories. This is one thing he has in common with his nephew [[Donald Duck|Donald]]. Scrooge's sense of honesty also distinguishes him from his rival [[Flintheart Glomgold]], who places no such self-limitations. During the cartoon series ''DuckTales'', at times he would be heard saying to Glomgold, "You're a cheater, and cheaters ''never'' prosper!"

Like his nephew Donald, Scrooge has also a temper and rarely hesitates to use cartoon violence against those who provoke his ire (often his nephew Donald, but also bill and tax collectors as well as door-to-door salesmen). However, he seems to be against the use of lethal force. On occasion, he has even saved the lives of enemies who had threatened his own life but were in danger of losing their own. According to Scrooge's own explanation, this is to save himself from feelings of guilt over their deaths; he generally awaits no gratitude from them. Scrooge has also opined that only in [[fairy tale]]s do bad people turn good, and that he is old enough to not believe in fairy tales. Scrooge believes in keeping his word—never breaking a promise once given.<ref>An example is when Scrooge, his family, and the Beagle Boys are trapped in the past. Hatching a plan to return to their normal time, he is told they could easily leave the Beagles stranded in the past; Scrooge refuses, noting that he gave his word everyone would return safely.</ref> In Italian-produced stories of the 1950s to 1970s, however, particularly those written by Guido Martina, Scrooge often acts differently from in American or Danish comics productions.

Carl Barks gave Scrooge a definite set of ethics which were in tone with the time he was supposed to have made his fortune. The [[robber baron (industrialist)|robber barons]] and industrialists of the 1890–1920s era were McDuck's competition as he earned his fortune. Scrooge proudly asserts "I made it by being tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties! And I made it square!". Barks's creation is averse to dishonesty in the pursuit of wealth. When Disney filmmakers first contemplated a Scrooge feature cartoon in the fifties, the animators had no understanding of the Scrooge McDuck character and merely envisioned Scrooge as a duck version of Ebenezer Scrooge—a very unsympathetic character. In the end, they shelved the idea because a duck who gets all excited about money just was not funny enough.

In an interview, Barks summed up his beliefs about Scrooge and [[capitalism]]:

{{blockquote|I've always looked at the ducks as caricatured human beings. In rereading the stories, I realized that I had gotten kind of deep in some of them: there was philosophy in there that I hadn't realized I was putting in. It was an added feature that went along with the stories. I think a lot of the philosophy in my stories is [[Traditionalist conservatism|conservative]]—conservative in the sense that I feel our civilization peaked around 1910. Since then we've been going downhill. Much of the older culture had basic qualities that the new stuff we keep hatching can never match.

Look at the magnificent cathedrals and palaces that were built. Nobody can build that sort of thing nowadays. Also, I believe that we should preserve many old ideals and methods of working: honor, honesty, allowing other people to believe in their own ideas, not trying to force everyone into one form. The thing I have against the present political system is that it tries to make everybody exactly alike. We should have a million different patterns.

They say that wealthy people like the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers are sinful because they accumulated fortunes by exploiting the poor. I feel that everybody should be able to rise as high as they can or want to, provided they don't kill anybody or actually oppress other people on the way up. A little exploitation is something you come by in nature. We see it in the pecking order of animals—everybody has to be exploited or to exploit someone else to a certain extent. I don't resent those things.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barks|first=Carl|title=Carl Barks: Conversations|year=2003|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|isbn=1-57806-501-1}}</ref>}}

=== ''DuckTales'' ===
In the ''[[DuckTales (1987 TV series)|DuckTales]]'' series, Scrooge has care of the nephews (as Donald has joined the [[US Navy]] and is away on his tour of duty), and, as a result, his darker personality traits are downplayed. While most of his persona remain from the comics, he is notably more optimistic and level-headed in the animated cartoon. In an early episode, Scrooge credits his improved temperament to the nephews and Webby (his housekeeper's granddaughter, who comes to live in Scrooge's mansion), saying that "for the first time since I left Scotland, I have a family". Though Scrooge is far from tyrannical in the comics, he is rarely so openly affectionate. While he still hunts for treasure in ''DuckTales'', many episodes focus on his attempts to thwart villains. However, he remains just as tightfisted with money as he has always been. But he's also affable and patient with his family and friends.

Scrooge displays a strict code of honor, insisting that the only valid way to acquire wealth is to "earn it square," and he goes to great lengths to thwart those (sometimes even his own nephews) who gain money dishonestly. This code also prevents him from ever being dishonest himself, and he avows that "Scrooge McDuck's word is as good as gold." He also expresses great disgust at being viewed by others as a greedy liar and cheater.

The series fleshes out Scrooge's upbringing by depicting his life as an individual who worked hard his entire life to earn his immense fortune and to fiercely defend it against those who were truly dishonest but also, he defends his family and friends from any dangers, including villains. His value teaches his nephews not to be dishonest with him or anybody else. It's shown that money is no longer the most important thing in his life. For one episode, he was under a love spell, which caused him to lavish his time on a goddess over everything else. The nephews find out that the only way to break the spell is to make the person realize that the object of their love will cost them something they truly love. The boys make it appear that Scrooge's love is allergic to money; however, he simply decides to give up his wealth so he can be with her. Later, when he realizes he will have to give up his nephews to be with her, the spell is immediately broken, showing that family is the most important thing to him.

On occasion, he demonstrates considerable physical strength by arm wrestling and beating bigger criminals on Aquatraz. He credits his strength to "lifting money bags."

=== Voice ===
Another part of Scrooge's persona is his Scottish accent. [[Dallas McKennon]] was the first actor to provide Scrooge's voice for the 1960 [[Disneyland Records]] album, ''Donald Duck and His Friends''.

When Scrooge later made his speaking animated debut in ''[[Scrooge McDuck and Money]]'' in 1967, he was voiced by [[Bill Thompson (voice actor)|Bill Thompson]]. Thompson had previously voiced Jock the [[Scottish Terrier]] in ''[[Lady and the Tramp]]'' and according to [[Alan Young]], Thompson had some Scottish ancestry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2010/12/interview-with-alan-young.html|title=An Interview with Alan Young|date=December 4, 2010|access-date=May 30, 2019}}</ref> Following ''Scrooge McDuck and Money'''s release, Scrooge made no further animated appearances prior to Thompson's death in 1971.

In 1974, Disneyland Records produced the album, ''An Adaptation of Dickens' Christmas Carol, Performed by The Walt Disney Players''. Alan Young belonged to a Dickens Society and was asked to help adapt the story to fit in Disney characters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mydailyfind.com/2009/12/01/mister-eds-alan-young-talks-about-the-talking-horse-and-hollywood-lore/|title=Mister Ed's Alan Young about the talking horse and Hollywood lore|date=December 1, 2009|access-date=May 30, 2019}}</ref> Young, whose parents were Scottish and who lived in Scotland for a few years when he was an infant,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://colemanzone.com/Time_Machine_Project/filby.htm|title=Interview with Alan Young|date=October 19, 1999|access-date=May 30, 2019}}</ref> voiced Scrooge for this record in addition to voicing [[Mickey Mouse]] and [[Merlin (Disney)|Merlin]] from ''[[The Sword in the Stone (1963 film)|The Sword in the Stone]]''. When Disney decided to adapt the record into the 1983 theatrical short, ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'', Young returned to voice Scrooge. Young remained as Disney's official voice for Scrooge up until his death in 2016, although [[Will Ryan]] voiced Scrooge for the 1987 television special, ''[[Sport Goofy in Soccermania]]'' and [[Alan Reid (musician)|Alan Reid]] voiced Scrooge for [[Tuomas Holopainen]]'s 2014 album, ''[[Music Inspired by the Life and Times of Scrooge]]''. Young's last performance as Scrooge was in the 2016 ''[[Mickey Mouse (TV series)|Mickey Mouse]]'' short, "No".

Since Young's death, several actors have provided Scrooge's voice. [[John Kassir]] took over for the ''Mickey Mouse'' shorts starting with "Duck the Halls" in 2016 and its follow-up series ''[[The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse]]''. [[Eric Bauza]] voiced Scrooge for a cameo in the television series, ''[[Legend of the Three Caballeros]]''. Scottish actor [[Enn Reitel]] voiced Scrooge for the English dub of ''[[Kingdom Hearts III]]'', the 2022 life simulator game ''[[Disney Dreamlight Valley]]'', and for the Disney Parks.

Scottish actor [[David Tennant]] voices Scrooge in the 2017 reboot of ''[[DuckTales (2017 TV series)|DuckTales]]'', and reprised the role in ''[[Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (film)|Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers]]'' and ''[[Chibiverse]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |title=First Look: David Tennant Voices Scrooge McDuck in 'DuckTales' {{!}} BBC America |url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2017/03/first-look-david-tennant-voices-scrooge-mcduck-in-ducktales |access-date=2017-08-17 |work=BBC America |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |title=''[[Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (film)|Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers]]'' |date=May 20, 2022 |type=Film |language=English |publisher=Walt Disney Pictures, Mandeville Films |time=1h30m32s}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=An Official Gravity Falls/Duck Tales Crossover Has Landed (And No One Noticed) – The Flagship Eclipse |url=https://www.theflagshipeclipse.com/2025/01/18/an-official-gravity-falls-duck-tales-crossover-has-landed-and-no-one-noticed/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> According to executive producer Matt Youngberg:

{{blockquote|David Tennant seemed to be the natural choice for this. We really wanted to find somebody who was legitimately Scottish. We thought that was really important in this iteration, someone who had the character to bring this icon alive. And David is an amazing actor. He's morphed into this role in an incredible way.}}

=== Europe ===
Many of the European comics based on the Disney Universe have created their own version of Scrooge McDuck, usually involving him in slapstick adventures. This is particularly true of the Italian comics which were very popular in the 1960s–1990s in most parts of Western continental Europe. In these, Scrooge is mainly an anti-hero dragging his long-suffering nephews into treasure hunts and shady business deals. Donald is a reluctant participant in these travels, only agreeing to go along when his uncle reminds him of the debts and back-rent Donald owes him, threatens him with a sword or [[blunderbuss]], or offers a share of the loot. When he promises Donald a share of the treasure, Scrooge will add a little loophole in the terms which may seem obscure at first but which he brings up at the end of the adventure to deny Donald his share, keeping the whole for himself. After Donald risks life and limb – something which Scrooge shows little concern for – he tends to end up with nothing.

Another running joke is Scrooge reminiscing about his adventures while [[gold prospecting]] in the [[Klondike, Yukon|Klondike]] much to Donald and the nephews' chagrin at hearing the never-ending and tiresome stories.

=== Age ===
According to Carl Barks' 1955 one-pager "Watt an Occasion" (''Uncle Scrooge'' #12), Scrooge is 75 years of age. According to Don Rosa, Scrooge was born in Scotland in 1867, and earned his Number One Dime (or First Coin) exactly ten years later.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rosa |first1=Don |title=The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck |page=7}}</ref> The ''DuckTales'' episodes (and many European comics) show a Scrooge who hailed from Scotland in the 19th century, yet was clearly familiar with all the technology and amenities of the 1980s. Despite this extremely advanced age, Scrooge does not appear to be on the verge of dotage, and is vigorous enough to keep up with his nephews in adventures. With rare exceptions, there appears to be no sign of him slowing down.

Barks responded to some fan letters asking about Scrooge's Adamic age, that in the story "That's No Fable!", when Scrooge drank water from a [[Fountain of Youth]] for several days, rather than making him young again (bodily contact with the water was required for that), ingesting the water rejuvenated his body and cured him of his [[rheumatism]], which arguably allowed Scrooge to live beyond his expected years with no sign of slowdown or senility. Don Rosa's solution to the issue of Scrooge's age is that he set all of his stories in the 1950s or earlier, which was when he himself discovered and reveled in Barks' stories as a kid, and in his unofficial timelines, he had Scrooge die in 1967, at the age of 100 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cl.lingfil.uu.se/~starback/dcml/creators/rosa-on-himself.html#dates|title = Don Rosa on himself}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://inducks.org/s.php?c=GC+HD++77B|title=Gc Hd 77B &#124; I.n.d.u.c.k.s.}}</ref>

In ''DuckTales'' (2017), Scrooge was trapped in ice for five years and "stuck in a timeless demon dimension" called Demogorgana for an unknown amount of time, which is used to explain his longevity.<ref>"The Golden Lagoon of White Agony Plains!"</ref> In the episode "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!", [[Webby Vanderquack]]'s research on Scrooge reveals that he was born in 1867, as previously established by Rosa. This would make Scrooge 158 years old as of 2024.<ref>"The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!"</ref>